Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Fentanyl

BANGOR, Maine: A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Bangor to possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute.

According to court records, in September 2025, investigators with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency arranged to purchase 100 grams of fentanyl from a Facebook user, with a courier dropping the drugs off at an agreed-upon meeting location in Bangor. On September 22, 2025, the Bangor Police Department stopped Edgar Arias, 41, when he arrived at the meeting location. During a search of the vehicle, investigators found a bag containing fentanyl near the driver's seat floorboard. Arias admitted that he knowingly transported the drugs to Maine to deliver them to someone else.

Arias faces up to 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigative report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case with assistance from the FBI, Bangor Police Department, and the Maine Attorney General's Office.

Operation Take Back America: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.